A high school level introductory biology course is a prerequisite for this science project.

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

No issues

*Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated Project Ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.

Abstract

Can you imagine Valentine's Day or Halloween without chocolate? Well, if you're a chocolate lover
brace yourself for the bad news. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), "Worldwide
demand for cacao now exceeds production." If there isn't enough cacao, the major raw ingredient for
chocolate, then the chocolate supply will dwindle. Hang on! Before you start rushing to the store to buy
all the chocolate you can get your hands on, a solution is already in the works. In 2008, IBM, Mars Inc., and
the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, and several other academic partners, joined together to sequence
the cacao genome. As articulated in the video below, the goal of the project is to find out which genes
need to be altered, through genetic engineering or selective breeding, to create more drought- and
pest-resistant Theobroma cacao trees that produce larger quantities of cacao pods.

In September 2010, the collaboration finished sequencing 92 percent of the genome. The
sequence data was made available to the public through the Cacao Genome Database.
Now, scientists throughout the world, including you, can start figuring out how to make healthier, more robust and prolific
cacao trees to protect the world's chocolate supply. Researchers will be asking many different types of questions, like
which genes control drought tolerance, temperature tolerance, yield, and pathogen resistance. You can ask those same
questions! For example, you can evaluate what pathogens might be able to successfully attack the sequenced
strain of cacao, Matina 1–6, and which pathogens this cacao plant is immune to. First, you'll need to do
some background reading to learn what types of pathogens (fungi, bacteria, and/or viruses) commonly attack cacao.

The Science Buddies guide to
Resources for Finding and Accessing Scientific Papers
can help you get your literature search started. Once you've focused in on a few key pathogens, comb
the literature for known genes in other plants that confer sensitivity or resistance to these pathogens.
Using BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, which you can read more about in the Bibligoraphy), or
other DNA comparison tools, look for homologous genes in the cacao genome. Based on your homolog
search, you'll be able to make predictions about whether or not Matina 1–6 is immune to that particular
pathogen. You might even be able to confirm your findings using phenotypic data published about
Matina 1–6. With some genetic interference and a little bit of luck, you might never need to face a chocolateless holiday!

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